Taking Jesus At His Word

I just read an amazing story of faith in John 4:46-53:

And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.
”The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”
Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

The verse that jumps out at me is "the man took Jesus at his word" (then he left and headed for home). This man's son was close to death! He had just begged Jesus to bring healing. Can't you just hear the urgency? "Please, Jesus, come with me! He's so sick. I'm so afraid. If only you would touch him, he would be healed..."
But Jesus didn't have to go to the man's house to heal the boy. He spoke it. "Your son will live," Jesus assured. And that was that. Right at that moment, the man's son was indeed healed.

The question is, do I take Jesus at his word? Do I trust that what he says is really true? And more importantly, do I act on it?

"Lord, I believe, help me with my doubts!" (Mark 9:24, The Message) These words were spoken by a man so much like me. He was the man who brought his mute son overcome by a demon that caused seizures. Jesus said, "Bring the boy here." They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure; he writhed on the ground and foamed at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has this been going on?"
"Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!"
Jesus said,"If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, "Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!"
With that, Jesus spoke a word and healed the boy (Mark 9:17-27).

Lord, forgive me for my doubts. Help me to completely trust you. Today I will take you at your word. Amen!

Troubling Thoughts

Everyone has troubling thoughts. Depressing thoughts. Thoughts that take us down into a pit so deep we can't crawl out. That's why we are supposed to take our thoughts "captive" to Christ. If we don't, pshhhhhhhumph! Down we go.

So how do we get out of the pit if we have fallen?



David leads by example in Psalm 55:1-22:

Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me.  My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught because of what my enemy is saying…my heart is in anguish within me; Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, 'Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm…'

… As for me, I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me…”

I love this prayer because it’s so real. More amazing, it’s written by a guy! A guy who’s in touch with his more sensitive side. David admits that his thoughts are troubled. He’s depressed, discouraged - downright “anguished.” I can relate. How many days have I gotten out of bed only to hear the enemy already whispering in my ear: “Why bother even facing the day? Nothing will change. Life is pointless. You are pointless…”

Oh that I had wings, I would fly away and rest. When depression overwhelms me, that’s exactly what I do. I go back to bed. I crawl under the covers, and let my imagination take me away. Sleep is the only place that I can escape from the pain. As a little girl, I fell asleep every night imagining I was somewhere else. I had a different family, a different father (one who was actually loving and kind). I lived in a beautiful, clean house, a mansion really! I was beautiful, confident, joyful.

God sustained me through a very difficult childhood by giving me the gift of imagination. But today, when I’m feeling depressed, I don’t want to “escape”; instead, I want to be healed. I want to face the day - morning, noon, and evening - with a fresh joy and peace. God’s word promises that if I cry out to God in my distress, he will rescue me from the enemies in my mind. Today I will take those anguishing thoughts to him in prayer.

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.” (psalm 55:22)